Underthinking the Crusaders Rugby boots.

So in the weekend, I went to the Highlanders-Crusaders game, and being a Highlander fan, I can't bring myself to discuss the rugby itself. What did catch my attention however was the Crusaders backlines rugby boots.

Its hard to tell from the above photo, but we have among others, Sonny Bill Williams highlighter green, Israel Dagg banana yellow, Robbie Fruen Red. I am not sure where they brought these boots although I do have my suspicions.

I think Pascall have gotten into making rugby boots.

I guess it helps identify the players, because I don't know about you, but I was forever getting Sonny Bill Williams and Israel Dagg mixed up.

Sonny?

Oh wait that's Sonny, good thing he has that tattoo or I would never know.

 I mean the fact that Sonny Bill could quite literally eat Israel Dagg, or at the very least throw him with a one handed off load, should also be a clue.
But seriously how did the players manage to get these boots through the Crusaders management? One of the most Traditional unions in the country.

How I imagine Crusaders team meetings

 I remember back in my day, if any one wore anything but Black boots (i think white was the only other option), they were deemed to be a show-off, and you needed to make that guys living hell for the rest of the game to remind him of his position in life.

"Why did I wear the white boots for? Why?"

But I guess Sonny Bill is pretty big, so trying to make his life a living hell would be pretty hard. Keeping them clean would be difficult too, now I know what you are saying why keep them clean, they are going to run on a muddy paddock. That's what I used to say too, when the 1st XV players used to make me or one of my other 3rd form chums wash their boots, the night before a big game. I mean on a rainy day, there boots would literally be clean when they put them on, and that would be it.

Seriously 10 seconds of clean, then the rest is this.

But to be fair it did make the players look smart when they first ran out with the matching uniforms, and the clean BLACK boots. I don't imagine players clean their boots much anymore, and you know who I blame.

Latham, pull your socks up you filthy mongrel

I understand that your socks can fall down during a game, its just the nature of the sport, but just like the clean rugby boots, when you first run on the field the socks all pulled up looks quite smart. Chris Latham used to come on the field with his socks around his ankles. It shows a lack of respect, if I was the coach I would have brought his some of those elastic doo-hickeys that hold your socks up, or I would have made him do Calf raises for a month, so that his socks wouldn't be able to slip down past his massive calves.

"My socks will stay up, My socks will stay up, My sock...."